The LIFE-Elia-RTE team was invited by their colleagues of Autrian Power Grid (APG) for a 4-days journey accross austrian plains and montains.
We started in Wien on 17 of May 2016 and finished in Baldramsdorf on 20th. During 4 days, we learned, observed and discussed the various management issues developped by APG.

A summarized diary is presented below with an interactive map, pictures and few comments.

Map of the visited sites

## OGR data source with driver: ESRI Shapefile 
## Source: "/home/jf/R/APG", layer: "Itinerary"
## with 4 features
## It has 2 fields
## [1] "#4C00FF" "#00E5FF" "#00FF4D" "#FFFF00"

A twelve steps journey

Step 1

Green socks on the basement of towers


Agreement between farmer (owner), small wild game hunters and APG to let the vegetation growing naturally. Hunters are responsible to cut the vegetation if it is growing too much (e.g. they should keep the access for APG to climb up the tower)

Back to the map

Step 2

Donau-Auen National Park


Platforms were installed on tower to allow Osprey and saker falcon for nestling. Because it is a National Park, trees cannot be cut, therefore trees that threaten the power line are ringed or beheaded, leaving a lot of standing dead wood.

Back to the map

Step 3

Nestboxes for saker falcon


130 nestboxes were installed on towers. Nowadays, 33 of them are occupied.

Back to the map

Step 3b

Observation tower of the Great Bustard LIFE project


An observation tower was built during a LIFE project in which APG was taking part.

Back to the map

Step 4

Transformator station


One among 5 sites in Austria that are managed with allowing a specific vegetation to grow on gravels under the electric equipment. A 50-cm layer of gravels is covering the natural soil, on witch seeds of about 90 species of plants of local pannonian origin were sown (25 of them are rares species belonging to the national Red List!). Resluts are very satisfactory when species such as the tiny Arenaria serpyllifolia, Arabis hirsuta, 2 species of Cerastium, Silene nutans, Alyssum alyssoides, Festuca stricta and F. rubicola, Pimpinella saxifraga … and many others are installed and do not need to be cut. At the beginning, it was necessary to get rid systematically of taller species such as Echium vulgare, Salsola cali or Conyza canadensis. The station is also visited by the Hamster and the Souslik. Additionnally a very rare specie of spider (Lycosa singoriensis) was found in the site by Ferdinand.

Back to the map

Step 5

Trees planted under the power line


This line was built up between 1995 and 1997. APG funded a private owner to plant allowed tree species along ca. 1.5 km. APG patrollers visually check the dangerousnes ofthe vegetation by foot, by climbing up the towers. When trees should be cut, the patroller has to inform the owner 2 years before it would become a real threaten. After cutting problematic trees, the owner is planting new saplings.

Back to the map

Step 6

Grassland rehabilitation


Here there is a demand for grasslands by organic farmers, so APG has the right to cut trees. It is important to implement a suitable managent afterward to develop species-rich grasslands that host a lot of rare species.

Back to the map

Step 7

Selective cutting by the owner uner the line to keep not threatening tree species


The owner is hunter, therefore he is interested in keeping the area open as shooting line. He is mowing the area each 5-6 years and collects the harvested hay. This agreement for management started in 1997.

Back to the map

Step 8

Deconstruction of tower by helicopter


During the process of increasing the power of an existing line, cables, towers and warning balls are replaced. The team could observe each steps of taking into parts and taking away one tower of the line.

Back to the map

Step 9

Visit of marsh Trabesinger moor


This wet habitat host some rare species of plants such as 3 species of Drosera, a very nice population of Primula farinosa and many more plant species. APG agreed with local people for a new management plan which consists in selectievely cutting trees to manage properly this valuable habitat.

Back to the map

Step 10

Panorama on the Pyramidenkögel


It is hard to describe the sight and the feelings that you can get from the top of the Pyramidenkögel. It is just a place to visit at least once in your life!

Back to the map

Step 11

Nestboxes for hoopoe and results of a close former LIFE project Gail


An ornithologist explains that 37 nestboxes were installed on the lower structure of towers. So far all of them are usedby different bird species, mainly starlings and great tits but the bird hoopoe is expected as it present in the region (20 known pairs in Corynthia, out of 60-80 pairs in the country. In the vincinity, we could give a glance at the renaturalised oxbows created by the LIFE project ‘Gail’.

Back to the map

Step 12

Nest patform for white stork


After a nest was of this large bird was discovered in 2015 on a tower, APG decided to build a well secured plateform. Unfortunately, the nest was used again this year. Under the same line a selective cutting management of the vegetation is perormed by APG.

Back to the map